The War Zone of Parenting
Parenting is not for the weak-minded, faint of heart, or simple-willed person. Parenting, many days, feels like a war, at least at the current ages and stage of my children. I love them fiercely. I protect them and care for their needs above my own. These days, every morning...
SQT: Hopping, Cleaning, and Making Memories
Transitions are full of complications. The rescheduling (or unscheduling?) of our original moving plans aside, other things also seem to be working against us. Because the kids are both growing, and both fiercely independent, the power struggles intensify daily. From the moment Madilynn wakes up (lately before 6:30) to...
Too Soon or Not Soon Enough
“Soon, but not soon enough.” Dietrich heard this a few weeks ago on the Disney channel and says it to every “Soon” answer he is given now. We finally have a delivery day for our household goods. “Soon, but not soon enough,” we can begin the business of settling into our new home...
Wait like a Watchman
Psalm 130 A song of ascents. 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence,...
Attack of the Miller Moths
That’s Miller, NOT killer though you wouldn’t know the difference by the way the kids act when they see one. Not that I can blame them. I won’t disgust you all with pictures – you can look them up for yourself if you aren’t fortunate enough to live in...
The Longest Psalm
In my NIV Study Bible, Psalm 119 takes up eight pages. In the original Hebrew, this Psalm is an alphabetic acrostic, with the verses of each stanza beginning with the same letter. It is believed to be written post-exile. The psalmist’s themes throughout include God’s goodness in spite of...
Amazing Grace Filled Road Trips
Once upon a time, on a road trip to see Dennis Jernigan for a New Year’s Eve Night of Praise, my friend Jennifer and I realized between the two of us, we had about 15 variations of the song “Amazing Grace”. We skipped several of these variations, noting the song...
Lessons from Deuteronomy
The Old Testament. The beginning of time. The fall of man. The flood. The establishment of a promise. Journeys into and out of slavery. The presentation of the Law. Miracles and wonders. The accounts of the first five books of the Bible are rich with history important to all...
Lessons from Disney’s Newsies
“In 1899, the streets of New York City echoed with the voices of Newsies, peddling the papers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world. On every corner, you saw them carrying the banner, bringing you the news for a penny a pape. Poor...
Is your GPS reliable?
Driving down an unfamiliar highway in the fog, with only my GPS to guide me to my destination, I saw a clear metaphor for life. With such poor visibility, on a road I didn’t know, I relied only on the navigational system to safely get me where I needed...